For many World of Warcraft fans, the long wait to fight the Lich King is finally over. Formerly Arthas, the traitorous Prince of Lordaeron, the Lich King is perhaps the most famous villain in the Warcraft universe. Today, Patch 3.3, titled Fall of the Lich King, goes live in World of Warcraft,, giving players the chance to go toe to toe with the Lich King.

The main attraction of Fall of the Lich King is Icecrown Citadel, the Lich King's base. Icecrown Citadel includes a five-player dungeon for small group play, and 10- and 25-player versions of the raid that will eventually give players access to the Lich King fight. The Citadel is divided into four major sections, and at first, only the first section will be available to players. Later sections will be revealed over time, with "several weeks" between sections. Blizzard representative Daelo explains this release schedule by stating, "We believe a staggered release of the content will allow players to experience Icecrown Citadel at a sustainable, measured, and ultimately more enjoyable pace." The Lich King encounter, of course, is located in the final section of the Citadel.

Other features of Patch 3.3 include a slightly revamped experience for new characters, improved quest tracking options via the in-game map, and a new system for pick up groups that allows players to group with people from different servers in order to find groups faster. The pick up group system is a particularly large change, involving points and rewards for successfully completing dungeons when using the system.

The Fall of the Lich King patch is free of charge for all players who own the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion. It can be downloaded by starting up the World of Warcraft client, which will launch the Blizzard Downloader.